


Teach Me

by Invincible_Voldemort



Series: Obikin AUs [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Firefighters, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Anakin is a hot (no pun intended) single dad, Firefighter!Anakin, Fluff, Humor, Kindergarten Teacher!Obi-Wan, Light Angst, M/M, Obi-Wan suddenly realizes he has a thing for tall blond firemen, Past Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Romance, Terrible pick up lines courtesy of Anakin, single dad!anakin, who happen to be his students' father
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:49:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25537597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Invincible_Voldemort/pseuds/Invincible_Voldemort
Summary: As the day went on, Obi-Wan couldn’t help but be excited about the next meeting with the twins’ father. And no, he was not thinking about the man in a firefighter uniform. No matter how hot he might be. Honestly, how much more cliché could it be? A hot firefighter? How boring.Besides, wasn’t it a fireman’s job to put out fires?...Then why the hell was his heart burning?OR, in which Obi-Wan finds his students' father to be incredibly hot.Kindergarten Teacher!AU
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker
Series: Obikin AUs [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1754605
Comments: 10
Kudos: 242





	Teach Me

Obi-Wan winced at the sight of the twins going at one another. Yet again. The school year had just started, but the kindergarten teacher knew that if this trend continued, this was going to be a long year. He quickly made his way to where Leia was grabbing the cookie from her brother's lunchbox. Luke, who made no attempt to stop his sister, already had tears forming in his eyes. His sniffling showed signs of being blown into a full-size sob.

"Leia, why are you taking Luke's cookie?"

"Because I want it," the little girl replied simply. Huh. If only justifications in the world of adults could be so simple and straightforward.

"Didn't you have your own cookie packed in your lunchbox?" Obi-Wan tried, hoping the five-year old would see reason.

"I finished it," she responded matter-of-factly.

"But, Luke wouldn't get to eat his cookie," Obi-Wan pointed out gently, running his hand soothingly over the young boy's blond hair.

"I can share it with him!" the dark-haired girl responded diplomatically. Obi-Wan sighed, not understanding how at such a young age, the young girl seemed to have the upper hand on her twin brother.

While Luke was beginning to cry, the idea of sharing the cookie seemed to brighten his spirits. Never mind that the cookie was fully his to begin with. Obi-Wan decided it was best not to intervene, lest he wanted Leia to throw another one of her famous temper tantrums. School had started only two weeks ago, but the class had been treated to Leia's anger when things didn't go her way. He made a mental note of this incident to discuss with their parents at the next parent-teacher conferences.

He stayed to make sure Leia did actually give her brother half the cookie before walking away to assist another child.

Later that afternoon, after nap time had ended, Obi-Wan began tidying up his desk of the lesson plans he had been making for the following week. The children had play time now, and Luke was focusing all his energy on constructing some sort of flying contraption with his Legos. Leia, thankfully seated away from her brother, was taking the time to draw something with her crayons. His eyes moved away from the scene for a minute to observe the other kindergarteners. Having play time after nap time was one of the best decisions. The children were still far too groggy to be rambunctious, and it gave him time to make sure everything was set before it was time for the school day to be over.

Just as he sat back down in his chair, to rest for a moment, he heard a sharp shriek, followed immediately by the sound of something being knocked over. He saw Luke with a ripped drawing in his hands and the remains of what looked like Luke's Lego creation in Leia's hands.

"Luke! You, meanie! You ripped my drawing!"

"You broke my starfighter!" Luke retorted. He made a grab for Leia's neatly tied braid, but Obi-Wan quickly intervened before the argument could escalate further, pulling the two siblings apart.

"Luke, Leia," he began sternly, but stopped upon seeing their abashed faces. He didn't understand how the Skywalker twins went from being such terrors to little angels in seconds. More like devils in disguise. He couldn't find it in himself to berate them, but he definitely was going to speak with their parents about their behavior.

As the clock struck 2:30 PM, indicating that school had come to an end for the day, Obi-Wan decided he would tag along with the assistant teachers who were in charge of the after-school programs and responsible for making sure the kids were picked up on time by their guardians. He was admittedly curious about the twins' parents but was slightly apprehensive at the thought of meeting them.

He waited as he watched the other children from his class being picked up by their parents. He noted a blue-haired girl run inside, pausing a moment to catch her breath before approaching him and the remaining students in his class.

The high school-aged girl glanced at him briefly, before her eyes broke out into a wide smile upon seeing the kids.

"'Soka!" Luke said eagerly, jumping into the girl's arms. Leia wrapped her tiny arms around the older girl's legs, tugging at her to pick her up as well. Obi-Wan was impressed at the expert manner in which the girl managed to handle both the twins in her arms, neither one showing signs of fighting one another.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat, "Excuse me, you are?"

"I'm Ahsoka," she introduced herself, "The twins' babysitter."

"Ah," Obi-Wan couldn't hide the sense of disappointment at the twins' parents not showing up to pick them up.

Ahsoka seemed to have caught on, "Is something wrong?"

"I was hoping to have a word with their parents," he explained, not wanting to say too much in the presence of the twins.

"Hmm," Ahsoka looked at him thoughtfully, "Anakin is pretty busy, but I could let him know that you want to speak to him."

Obi-Wan shook his head, "If you could do that, that would be great." The twins waved a cheerful goodbye, still in their babysitter's arms as they regaled her with what they had done for the day. He smiled at how animated they were and how attentive of a listener Ahsoka was to all their stories.

He thought back to what the girl had mentioned. She had said Anakin, whom Obi-Wan presumed was the twins' father. However, no mention was given to their mother. Was he to assume that the twins' parents were divorced? If that were the case, especially at such a young age, it was understandable why the twins might be acting up. Instability in the family could certainly leave a mark on such impressionable children.

* * *

The next morning, Obi-Wan went over his plans once more for the day. Sure, he was teaching kindergarteners, but Obi-Wan scoffed at the notion of kindergarten being nothing more than a glorified daycare. His students were intelligent, and he was not simply going to babysit them. This was the prime age for them to begin developing their intellectual capacity.

He heard a hesitant knock on the door.

"Come in," he responded without looking up from the paper he was scanning over.

The door was pushed open slowly as a man emerged from behind with two kindergarteners in tow. Obi-Wan paused, momentarily taken aback by the tall, lithe, blond-haired man in front of him. Luke held the man's hand obediently, while Leia was trying to pull the man's arm to get his attention.

"Daddy!" she said excitedly, "I want to show you what I painted! C'mon!"

He crouched down to her height, "Lei Lei, give daddy a minute, will you? I need to speak to Mr. Kenobi."

"But daddy," she whined, "I really want to show you what I did!"

The blond-haired man brushed the tendrils of hair escaping the young girl's bun, "Princess, we talked about this, remember? I promise I will see your painting, but I need to talk to your teacher first."

Leia hmphed in response, turning her back to the man before stalking off to her cubby to put her lunchbox away. The man sighed, dusting off his knees before standing up again. He ruffled Luke's hair affectionately, "Luke, why don't you go put your stuff away too."

"Ok, daddy," the young, blond-haired boy gave his father a tight hug before going over to join his sister.

Obi-Wan watched the scene unfold with amazement, especially at how patient the young man was. Granted, he was their father and had likely dealt with similar situations. He also probably didn't want to cause an issue in front of someone else.

"Mr. Skywalker?" Obi-Wan confirmed.

"Please, call me Anakin. Mr. Skywalker makes me feel old," the younger man chuckled. "I heard you wanted to talk to me, Mr. Kenobi."

"Obi-Wan," Obi-Wan found himself immediately correcting the other man.

"Hmm?"

"Please, call me Obi-Wan. Mr. Kenobi makes me feel old," Obi-Wan was tempted to slap himself the instant those words left his mouth. Had he just openly flirted with his students' father? Less than fifteen seconds into their conversation?

However, Anakin did not look scandalized. If anything, he looked amused at the response, with a slight grin on his lips, "I see that we'll be getting along well."

Obi-Wan wasn't sure what to make of that reply. It sounded like he was almost flirting back. However, given Obi-Wan's abysmal dating record, he was likely being delusional.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat, pushing away the phrase to the corner of his mind, "I was hoping we could talk about Leia and Luke." He lowered his voice at the end, hoping that neither of the twins had heard him.

"Are they misbehaving?" he asked, hitting the nail on the head for the topic at hand.

"I—" Obi-Wan paused, wondering how to be delicate given that he didn't want to badmouth his students in front of their father. "I think they have been struggling to adjust, perhaps a bit more than the other students."

Anakin nodded in response, "Of course." He glanced down at the time on his phone, "Could we schedule this for another time? My shift starts soon."

Upon seeing the confusion on Obi-Wan's face, Anakin clarified, "I'm a firefighter."

"Oh," Obi-Wan quickly wiped away the completely inappropriate mental image forming in his head. He hoped that the raging blush he now knew he had would be covered by his beard. Fortunately, Anakin didn't seem to show any signs of noticing the steamy train of thought passing through the older man's mind.

"I should get going," the blond finally said, "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Ken— Obi-Wan." He corrected himself. He shook Obi-Wan's hands before turning around to locate his children in a classroom that was slowly beginning to fill up with children. Quickly placing a kiss on top of Luke and Leia's heads, he headed out the door with a slight wave of his hand at Obi-Wan.

As the day went on, Obi-Wan couldn't help but be excited about the next meeting with the twins' father. And no, he was not thinking about the man in a firefighter uniform. No matter how hot he might be. Honestly, how much more cliché could it be? A hot firefighter? Give him a break.

A really hot firefighter. How boring.

Wasn't it a fireman's job to put out fires?

Then why the hell was his heart burning?

Fuck.

He was in too deep already.

* * *

Anakin finally confirmed he was available to chat some time the following week, after school had ended. Ahsoka had picked up twins again while Anakin came directly from the station. He was dressed in a thin, white t-shirt paired with straight-legged, faded blue jeans. Obi-Wan tried not to stare at how the sweat made his thin shirt look see-through, giving him the slightest glimpse of the outline of his abs. Or at how his biceps appeared to strain under that tight-fitting shirt. He wasn't sure whether to curse that stupid, white shirt for distracting him or to just be glad for the opportunity.

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin prompted after what must have been a few seconds of the teacher being lost in his thoughts.

"Right, sorry," he quickly tried to cover up that he had been staring at the younger man. "I apologize for having to call you in like this, Anakin. Especially given your schedule, but I really thought it would be for the best to talk about Luke and Leia. The two seem to be having a difficult time fitting in. And more importantly, they seem to constant be at each other's throat."

Anakin raised an eyebrow as he snorted derisively, "Luke's provoking Leia? I mean, Leia I understand, but Luke?"

"Well," Obi-Wan acquiesced, "Leia does most of the provoking, but Luke certainly does not back down once she's approached him. There are times where he has let it go." Obi-Wan recalled the cookie incident. "However, Luke does retaliate, and there have also been instances where he has been the instigator himself."

Anakin simply sat back in his chair, as though deciding what to say.

Obi-Wan took this opportunity to continue, "They both do get along with the other children. There are no problems with that, but they do seem a bit aloof from the rest, preferring to spend time on their own. And while they do seem to have an inclination of being secluded from the rest of their classmates, it is often their constant close proximity with only each other that triggers an incident."

"They are twins," their father pointed out bluntly. "It's fairly common for them to be close to one another."

Obi-Wan grimaced. Perhaps his wording had not been the right choice. He wasn't sure how to proceed. He was curious about the twins' home life. Did they behave the same way at home? But he wasn't entirely sure that was an appropriate conversation to approach. That was a personal matter that he should not be privy to. However, at the same time, their behavior at school likely was affected by the dynamic at home.

He tried to ease into the topic carefully, "Do you find them getting along well at home?"

Anakin immediately seemed to clam up when the topic was broached. His face hardened, becoming stony. While his last statement had been blunt, there had been the semblance of a smile. However, Obi-Wan's question seemed to wipe even that slightest of smiles away. The cool glare he sent the kindergarten teacher unnerved Obi-Wan. Although their previous meeting had been brief, the younger man had seemed quite jovial, and even willing to tease him a bit. However, the man who sat in front of him now didn't seem to resemble that man one bit.

The deafening silence was more than enough for Obi-Wan to confirm that the sensitive topic was definitely an issue outside of school as well. But, he did not want to drop the subject. He gently pressed on, "Is this common for them? Or would you say this is a more recent occurrence?"

Surely Anakin must have anticipated that this sort of conversation would take place while discussing his children's behavior. Obi-Wan had barely pushed any boundaries. He hadn't explicitly asked about their personal lives. He simply wanted to know if this behavior was normal for the children as it seemed to be affecting their schooling.

The other man continued to stare back stonily, making Obi-Wan feel exceedingly uneasy.

"Anakin, look, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable here. I was just hoping to understand how to make Luke and Leia fit in better with their peers. I—"

Before Obi-Wan could continue, Anakin placed his hands on Obi-Wan's desk, using that as support to push his chair back as he stood up. Obi-Wan winced at the sound the of the chair scraping against the floor.

"Mr. Kenobi," he said, a very formal tone infused in his impassive voice, "I think it would be best if I were to leave. I'll see to it that Luke and Leia behave in the future."

The blond exited the room, leaving Obi-Wan completely flabbergasted. He put his face in his hands, wondering where he had gone wrong in this conversation.

* * *

Obi-Wan didn't see Anakin again the following weeks. He once again would accompany the assistant teachers to where students were picked up by their guardians, hoping to run into Anakin once more to apologize. However, it was Ahsoka who seemed to be picking up and dropping off the twins every day. He wasn't sure what to do.

As for Luke and Leia, the pair were indeed quieter, just as their father had promised. However, Obi-Wan noticed the lack of luster in their faces. The twins rarely fought anymore, but they seemed even more withdrawn from their classmates. They exclusively spent their time with each other. While Obi-Wan was glad to see the siblings get along with one another, he couldn't help but feel guilty that it was his actions that had likely led them to ostracize themselves from their classmates. For months, he tried to get the two to open more and make new friends, but they seemed obstinate.

By the time, December came around, it had been a full three months since had spoken to Anakin. Obi-Wan was preparing the class for the holiday season. With his diverse class, Obi-Wan was eager to share with his students the traditions of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and the various other holidays celebrated around the world during this time.

As winter break approached, Obi-Wan designated the last day of school before the holidays to be a winter party where parents were also invited. He watched the children ready their bags the day before the winter party, specifically noting Luke and Leia's interaction.

Leia seemed to be wiping the tears from Luke's eyes before hugging her brother tightly. Obi-Wan's heart melted at the sight of the brother and sister pair. He noticed that Luke grasped on to Leia tightly as he continued crying. Just as he was about to approach him, Ahsoka walked in to the room. She quickly grabbed Luke in her arms before holding Leia's hand tightly before exiting the room.

As other parents picked up their children, Obi-Wan tried to put a smile on his face as parents greeted him, telling him they were looking forward to the winter party the next day. Yet, his thoughts kept wandering back to the sight of Luke crying.

* * *

The next day, at the winter party, Obi-Wan smiled as parents and their children alike partook in the various activities he had planned. Several parents had brought dishes that they traditionally served at their homes during the holiday season.

He couldn't help but notice Luke and Leia, once again, standing off to the corner. He crouched down in front of the two, "Do you two want anything to eat or drink? We have hot cocoa."

Luke seemed to slightly brighten up at the prospect of hot chocolate, but Leia remained with a grim expression on her face as she shook her head no. Luke, upon seeing his sister's response, decided that he too no longer wanted to drink hot chocolate.

"Are you two okay?" he asked carefully. "Is something wrong?"

"I want daddy," Luke said softly.

"Yeah, I want daddy! Where is he?"

Obi-Wan debated how to handle this. Before the winter party, he had asked parents to sign up whether they were planning to attend and whether they would be bringing a dish to share. However, he did not see Anakin Skywalker listed on there. And Obi-Wan had gone over the list… several times.

"Maybe your daddy is at work?" He began gently, "There might be something he had to do at the fire station. I'm sure he'd be here if he could."

"But, he promised," Leia looked on the verge of tears.

Anakin had promised he'd be there? Obi-Wan was suddenly apprehensive. Sure, he had been looking for a way to contact the man and apologize, but not in a setting like this!

"Leia, I know that your dad would want to be here, but—"

Obi-Wan was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Before he could register what was happening, he saw Leia excitedly leap into the man's arms.

"Careful, Lei," the man grunted at the force of the kindergartener throwing herself at him, "I don't want to drop these." He carefully set down the bag he was carrying on top of the wooden cubbies before picking his daughter up. He examined her eyes closely before carefully wiping off the tears that had begun to form, "Princess, were you crying?"

Leia shook her head quickly, "Of course not, daddy!"

"She was, daddy," Luke said solemnly, snitching to his father. Leia gave her brother a stink-eye from her place in her father's arms.

Anakin set Leia down before picking up Luke, "And you, mister? I'm surprised you haven't got any hot chocolate dribbled on your shirt already."

"I was waiting for you!" Luke protested before his father fondly kissed his cheek and laughed at the little boy's indignation.

Anakin glanced over to where Obi-Wan was with a neutral gaze before giving him a slight nod. Obi-Wan turned away quickly, feeling slightly bad for watching a private family moment. Leia and Luke excitedly tugged their father towards the table where the food was. Anakin barely managed to grab the bag he had brought in before being pulled away.

"Latkes! Latkes!" Leia chanted as her father smiled, taking an aluminum foil-wrapped dish out of the paper bag. Luke clapped his hands excitedly. Anakin took out a mason jar with what looked like apple sauce.

"You remembered!" Leia threw her arms around her father once more.

"Of course, can't forget the apple sauce."

Obi-Wan noted how the father watched his children dig into the fried potato pancakes topped with the apple sauce he had brought in.

"Slow down, Leia," Anakin urged as his daughter seemed to be inhaling the dish.

Leia paused momentarily, her mouth still stuffed with the pancake, "Daddy, did you really make these?"

Anakin feigned hurt, "Of course I did. Why did you think that I didn't?"

"Because you usually mess them up!" Luke chimed in from where he had neatly finished one of his latkes.

Upon Leia's skeptical gaze, Anakin seemed to wither, "Fine, I had Grammy Jobal help me make these."

"I knew it!" Leia said happily, before going back to her latkes.

After they had finished eating, and Luke had gotten himself a cup of hot cocoa, the twins joined some of their classmates to spin the dreidel and eat chocolate coins.

Obi-Wan hesitated to approach the younger man. But before he could decide, Anakin was intercepted by a brown-haired woman. She stretched out her hand to meet Anakin's, "I'm Sabé, Dané's mom."

"I'm Anakin," he responded in kind with a smile on his face. Obi-Wan felt the slightest hint of betrayal, although he wasn't sure why. Perhaps it was the rather cold terms he and Anakin had last ended on.

"Are you Jewish?" Sabé asked. "I noticed you brought in the latkes, and they were delicious."

Anakin scratched the back of his head as though he were embarrassed, "No, I'm not, but my wife was. We celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas at home."

"Oh, I see. They must enjoy celebrating the two holidays," the brown-haired woman exclaimed.

Obi-Wan felt his irritation grow just a titch. However, he reminded himself that this was a holiday party and not meant to be a place where he confronted Anakin about their last conversation. He hardly noticed the uncomfortable look that Anakin gave Sabé before he excused himself to rejoin his children.

It was only later, after the fit of irrational anger had subsided, that Obi-Wan realized what Anakin had said.

_His wife was Jewish?_

Did this mean that he was divorced?

Was this why he had looked unwilling to talk about the twins that day?

* * *

Now, already into February, the school year had gone by fairly quickly. After winter break had ended, the days seemed to be rushing past him as Obi-Wan planned the next event at school. While most teachers had career days typically for middle schoolers, he thought his students might enjoy bringing in their parents to talk about what their parents did for a living. A show and tell of sorts. Obi-Wan was honestly shocked to see Anakin's name on the list of parents who had signed up for career day.

From his seat in the back of the classroom, Obi-Wan smiled at how eager his students were to share what their parents did with their peers.

The previous student had just finished talking about their mother, a bakery owner. The mom was now fielding questions from the excited kindergarteners about cookies and cakes she loved to make. Obi-Wan took this opportunity to glance at the next name on the list. His smile slightly faltering when he saw the name. Just as the bakery owner had finished answering her last question, a figure quickly slipped in through the door.

Obi-Wan's eyes remained peeled to the figure as they took a seat on the other side of the classroom, fully clad in his fireman uniform. He wouldn't mind climbing that fireman like a ladder.

Obi-Wan shook his stray, once again entirely inappropriate, thoughts before he went to the front of the classroom, "Ok, let's give a round of applause to Biggs and Mrs. Darklighter."

"Now, for our next guest," he continued, "Luke and Leia will be talking about their father, Mr. Skywalker."

Obi-Wan stepped to the side to allow Luke and Leia to go up to the front. His eyes briefly caught Anakin's for a second as the blond approached the front. Obi-Wan noted a small smile on the younger man's face, seemingly directed at him. Obi-Wan quickly returned to his seat in the back of the classroom before Anakin could see how flushed he was up close.

"This is our daddy," Leia announced proudly.

"He's a first responder!" Luke added on excitedly.

"That's just a fancy word for a firefighter," Leia explained while her classmates giggled. Anakin ruffled his daughter's hair at the comment.

"Firefighters rescue people," Luke continued, "Not only from fires but accidents too!"

"He works at a fire station and drives this super cool, red firetruck!"

Obi-Wan felt refreshed seeing how animated the twins were talking about their father. This was the first time he had seen the pair so cheerful. Since the winter party, the pair had made some progress at being better integrated with their classmates. However, he had never seen them this excited before.

As the twins continued to speak about their father, Obi-Wan tried his hardest to focus on what his students were saying. However, he was entirely too distracted by the man in the uniform. Complete with the fireman hat, Anakin had dressed up fully for career day.

There really was something attractive about a man in uniform. Obi-Wan didn't realize until now that he had type. And apparently his type was hot, presumably single dad who happened to be a fireman.

Before he even realized it, the students were clapping for Luke and Leia. Obi-Wan joined in. Anakin's eyes sought his out in the crowd of kindergarteners and their parents, giving the older man a bright smile before he returned his attention to the students. He watched as Anakin eagerly answered their questions.

Damn it. He had a gorgeous smile. He would stop, drop, and roll with that fireman any time.

How Obi-Wan wished this had been the last presentation. But there were still a few more students to go, and Anakin had slipped out before the talks had ended.

* * *

Obi-Wan found himself up very early on that bright April morning. Knowing that he'd not be able to fall back asleep with the sun shining directly in his face, he decided to get ready for the day. He berated himself for not investing in dark curtains to block out the light. The time, 6:45 AM, Obi-Wan decided that this would be the perfect time to go for a walk in the park.

Grabbing a dark roast from Starbucks, he made his way over to where the pond was, following along the path that encompassed the water. He sipped on his drink, observing the many couples who were jogging together early in the morning.

Just as he was about to round the corner where the bushes were, he felt himself fall back as someone ran into him. He was thankful he had finished his cup of coffee earlier and had not spilled the scalding hot drink on himself.

He heard the hurried apology as the other man helped him up, "Sorry!"

Obi-Wan recognized the familiar voice, glancing up to confirm his suspicions, "Anakin?"

"Oh, Obi-Wan," the blond looked exceedingly embarrassed and apologetic, "I'm sorry for knocking you over. I wasn't paying attention where I was going."

Obi-Wan waved aside the apology, finally taking note of what the other man was wearing. Or, not wearing. Clearly, Anakin was doing a morning run. He had on a pair of black running shorts and shoes. Obi-Wan tried to pry his eyes away from where his gaze lingered, but he couldn't. He had only ever imagined what laid behind that thin white t-shirt during their second meeting, but they were on full display here. The glistening sweat highlighting the pronounced features. Apparently, Anakin was one of those men who preferred to exercise shirtless. Not that Obi-Wan was complaining. If anything, Anakin was doing a great service to the patrons of the park with the display of his well-contoured abs.

They were better than Obi-Wan had pictured them to be. Not that he had thought about them too much before…

He had to stop sexualizing his students' father.

Anakin, once again, didn't seem to realize Obi-Wan's inner turmoil. He seemed to be going through a turmoil of his own, "Hey, look, I just wanted to say sorry."

"It's fine. Don't worry. You didn't notice where you were going," Obi-Wan finally tore his eyes away from Anakin's bare chest to meet his eyes.

"No, not that," Anakin started. Obi-Wan shot him a confused look.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior from when we last talked… about Luke and Leia."

Oh, he wanted to bring up that conversation from seven months ago.

"Do you mind if we talked?" Anakin asked.

Obi-Wan gestured at the path, indicating Anakin to lead the way, "No, of course not. Go ahead."

The two continued along the path Obi-Wan had been following previously.

"Umm, I don't know how to start," the younger man confessed. "I— I should probably explain why I was pretty sensitive that day about the topic."

Obi-Wan didn't say anything, not wanting to pressure the man into say anything he didn't feel comfortable with.

"Have the twins spoken about their mother?" he questioned suddenly.

Obi-Wan, bewildered by the question, shook his head, "No, they've never mentioned her."

Anakin nodded his head before sighing, "Their mother… she—she passed away early last year."

Obi-Wan just barely noticed the quiver in the blond man's voice. He could tell that the other man was trying his best to hide it.

"Anakin, I'm sorry. I didn't know—"

Anakin chose to ignore the condolences and continued, "They were both very close to their mother, especially Luke. And her death really, really took a toll on the kids. The three of us." Obi-Wan noted that retelling the story seemed to have aged Anakin by years already.

"We had to come to terms with this being our new normal. I tried to be both their father and mother, but the kids clearly need their mom. Ahsoka helps out as much as she can, but there's only so much she can do. The twins would cry all the time and became withdrawn. I could understand why they didn't mix with their peers because that situation was fairly common at home."

"Don't get me wrong," Anakin rushed to explain before Obi-Wan could ask, "I shower them with all the love and affection possible, and they return that with equal fervor. However, as twins, they are so in-tune with one another. Leia started acting out more while Luke became easily emotion. If one of them was having an episode, the other will be right there. It was frustrating at times to see the two of them bottle up their feelings towards their mother's death and rely on one another for support. They were only five years old! They weren't supposed to keep that inside them. Even as their father, whenever they were going through one of those incidents, it was impossible to comfort them. They wouldn't let me in. Which is why I was honestly a little surprised that you mentioned they were fighting one another in class. Since their mother's death, the two relied on one another as an emotional support system. Apparently, something I couldn't provide them as their father."

Obi-Wan felt a rush of pity at the young father's disheartened tone, "Anakin, this isn't your fault. The twins—"

"But it is, isn't it?" Anakin said fiercely. Obi-Wan was taken aback by the other man's quick change in temperament. "How could I have let it get as far as it did as their father? They're supposed to rely on me, not themselves! But, you know what really pushed me over the edge? Talking to you that day."

Obi-Wan almost choked at that sudden declaration.

"It wasn't until you spoke to me that I realized just how bad things were. Nearly eight whole months after my wife's death. I had let it go for eight months until it was festering. I had thought school would help them cope with it once they made friends. I didn't realize that it would only alienate them further. I didn't even notice what they were going through at school. I've been so busy at work, taking on more shifts to… to support them."

Obi-Wan didn't comment on Anakin's pronounced stutter. Clearly, the death of Anakin's wife had not only left an emotional scar on the family but a financial one as well.

"I neglected my duties as a father." Anakin said quietly, quickly rubbing the tear threatening to fall out of his eye, "The conversation we had was an eyeopener, and I began looking for a children's therapist specialist. The two have been attending sessions for the last few months. But, I sincerely apologize again for taking out my anger on you. The anger was meant to be directed at me, for my inability to be the father they needed."

"Anakin, I hope I'm not going beyond my boundaries, but seeing you interact with Luke and Leia, I know that you are giving them all the love and affection that you can… all the love and affection that they deserve. However, sometimes, that's not enough. Their mother's death is not something they can heal from that easily. This will take time, but please don't stop what you're doing. I can tell those children treasure you from the way they speak about in class. And please know, that if you ever need anything, I will help you," Obi-Wan stopped walking, facing Anakin directly so that he knew his statement was not one he made lightly.

"I would do anything to make sure that Luke and Leia are getting the support that they need. I care for them a lot. I care for…" Obi-Wan hesitated, knowing that he was being too forward, but he wanted to be there for Anakin and his children. "I care for you."

Before Obi-Wan fully understood what was going on, Anakin launched himself at the shorter man, hugging him tightly, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Obi-Wan did his utter best not to get distracted by the fact that Anakin's bare, sweaty chest was pressed up against him. He resorted to gently patting the younger man on the back as Anakin continued to hug him.

* * *

Two months later, Obi-Wan was sitting across with the last parent for his final parent-teacher conference of the year… a certain Anakin Skywalker.

"They've really come far from where they were at the beginning of the year," Obi-Wan concluded.

"Does this mean that you're officially no longer their teacher?" Anakin asked with an excited glint in his eyes.

"Was I really that horrible?" Obi-Wan asked drily.

"No, it just means that I can finally take you on a date now."

Obi-Wan sputtered in indignation, "I never agreed to this!"

"Maybe, I could tempt you?" Anakin quirked an eyebrow.

"I'd like to see you try," Obi-Wan challenged, taking a sip of the tea in his cup.

"You do know that firemen have big hoses, right?" Anakin asked nonchalantly.

Obi-Wan immediately spit the tea back into his cup, sputtering.

"What the actual fu—"

"I can have you screaming louder than a siren."

The older man continued to wheeze. Anakin ignored him, apparently having way too much fun with his arsenal of pick-up lines.

"Or perhaps you want to slide down my pole?" he asked cheekily.

Obi-Wan's face was bright red as he continued coughing.

"You look as red as firetruck. I hope you know," Anakin commented.

"You chose this profession only for the dirty pick-up lines, didn't you?"

"Perhaps," he added with a wink. "I have more, if you—"

"No, no more," Obi-Wan managed. "I cannot bare to hear another lame pick-up line."

Anakin stood up, leaning over Obi-Wan's desk, "Well then, why don't you teach me, teacher?"

**Author's Note:**

> This oneshot became a lot longer than I was anticipating. I was aiming for the same length as the other three. I also apparently can't resist writing an Obikin AU without lame puns or bad pick-up lines. There were more, but I already had too many there at the end.
> 
> This was initially supposed to be a story, instead of a oneshot. I might still consider making it into one, but I'm not sure yet. 
> 
> Once again, I would really love to hear y'all's thoughts and feedback. So please let me know with a comment down below. 
> 
> Please excuse any mistakes you find. I don't have the energy to edit.
> 
> And, I still have more Obikin AUs planned, although you might have to be a bit patient with me.


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